Kevin HommaSizing Up Strategies

What do we have in common?

Students divide a piece of paper into 3 sections. On command, they will find a partner and write down things that they have in common with that person, such as culture, activities, interests. After 2 minutes has elapsed, they find a new partner two more times. At the end, ask the students questions about the activity such as, “What trait that you had in common surprised you? How hard or easy was it to find similarities?”

This activity will provide students with the opportunity to learn from each other while learning about themselves. The information garnered from this activity will be student emotional development, cultural background, social skills, academic language, and linguistic skills.

Finding out about who we are.

Prepare an interview sheet for the students. On it are targeted questions that will help you learn from your students. “Describe your family. What is a place you’d like to visit and Why? What’s your favorite holiday? What is something unusual about yourself that you’d like to share? How would you help your neighborhood become a better place?” Students will find a partner for each question, write each other’s names down, and fill out the information. They will then find a new partner until all questions are completed. Afterward, ask the students something interesting they learned about one of their partners.

This activity is similar to the first one, only you can manipulate it to search for specific information. The information garnered from this activity will be student emotional development, cultural background, social skills, academic language, and linguistic skills.

Family Interview

Prepare a family member interview sheet for students to take home. Ask specific cultural/linguistic questions. “Where did your family come from? What are some traditions your family enjoys celebrating? What is their favorite food to make?” Have students share with each other in class the next day and collect the sheets at the end.

Similar to first two activities, except now the parent may be able to answer more elaborately. Use this interview to get more difficult questions from the student such as linguistic information, SES, and cultural background.

Coat of Arms

Students in class will prepare their own coat of arms that represents who they are. Students have the option to put whatever they want in the coat of arms, but suggest topics such as

favorite thing to do outside of school, what sports they like to play or watch, favorite foods, favorite family moments. Students will use art supplies to bring their ideas to live, which will also show interest in art if they have it. Students will divide into small groups and present their coat of arms.

This activity allows the student to think deeply about who they are, while simultaneously providing necessary info on the student such as culture, sports, language, interests, and social skills.

“Favorite” Charades

Divide students into groups of 4. Give each student an index card, facing down, with a category. The categories are “Food, Movie, Sport, Extracurricular Activity.” Have one student look at their card, and their job is to act out their favorite thing of that category. Other students in the group will write it down. Then the next person goes until all 4 have gone.

This activity is fun and emphasizes social skills/emotional development, while also sharing a little bit about the student’s interests and background. It is also a great bonding experience for the kids.

Name Acronym

In this activity, students will spell their name vertically, and for each letter, write a character trait or descriptor that they think is appropriate. Divide students into groups of 4 and have them share what they wrote.

This activity is a good way for students to be creative with letters and words, while also thinking about what they stand for. The information garnered from this activity will be student emotional development, cultural background, social skills, academic language, and linguistic skills.

Human Knot

Have students gather in a tight circle. Each student will grab someone else’s hands, but each hand has to grab a different person’s hand. Students then have to “untie” the human knot that they have created.

This activity really showcases physical ability, coordination, and most importantly, team work. Students will have to work together to figure out the best ways to untie the knot. It is inevitable that certain students possessing leadership qualities will begin to facilitate the success of the group.

What did you eat last night?

Give students a paper plate and make art supplies available. Have them draw the food that they had for dinner the previous night. If dinner wasn’t had, lunch or breakfast can be a good substitute. Then have students divide into groups of 3 and use the ingredients that they had to create their own combined plate. The groups will then share their new plates with the class.

This activity provides information on the students’ diet and health in a non patronizing way. It also may give information on cultural background and SES. Additionally, social skills and team work will be present as they work together to combine their ingredients into a new plate.

Scavenger Hunt

Divide students into groups of 4 and give them a list of items that they would find around the school. Pick items that place them in different places such as the library, computer lab, multipurpose room, etc. Set them loose and the first group to come back wins. When students come back, have them share to the class their strategies, and also how they figured out where to find the items.

Heavily focused on teamwork and social skills, this activity will allow students to work together on a unified task with the incentive of winning.

Background Bingo

Create a bingo sheet for students with 25 questions (5x5) pertaining to an individual’s background. “Who walks to school? Who has 2 pets or more? Who has both a brother and a sister?” Students then will have to find people who fit those categories and write their names down. The first person to get 5 in a row wins and will share the answers that got them the bingo.

This activity is almost all inclusive, drawing upon social/emotional development and also getting pertinent information. Questions can be tailored to areas of interest for the teacher. “Whose parents were born in a different country?” or “Who speaks a language other than English.”